Equip offers two ways to see Equip events outside Equip. Calendar syncing pushes a person's registered events into the Google or Microsoft calendar they sign in to Equip with. A calendar subscription is a private read-only feed URL that any calendar app (Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar) can follow. Use syncing for people who sign in with Google or Microsoft SSO and want events in their work calendar; use a subscription for everyone else, including participants.
Participants are called Clients, Students, Residents or Explorers depending on your account type; this article says participant.
Quick recommendation
Choose calendar syncing when the person signs in with Google or Microsoft SSO and wants Equip to create, update and remove matching events in that calendar automatically.
Choose a calendar subscription when the person needs a read-only feed in Outlook, Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or another app, or does not sign in with SSO.
Both can be on for the same person.
Calendar syncing
Syncing pushes registered Equip events to a user's connected Google or Microsoft calendar. It requires all three: the user signs in with Google or Microsoft SSO, that provider is enabled for the account under Account Settings > Authentication > SSO Providers, and Enable Event Syncing is on for the user under their profile's Calendar Settings.
Direction: one-way, Equip to the connected calendar. Nothing comes back into Equip.
What syncs: registering the user creates the calendar event; editing the event's title, description, time, all-day setting or location updates it; unregistering the user or deleting the event removes it.
Timing: runs in the background shortly after the change, and retries if Google or Microsoft is rate limiting.
Account setting: administrators can turn on Auto-Enable Event Syncing for New Users and Enable for Everyone under Account Settings > Calendar Settings.
Calendar subscriptions
A subscription is a private feed URL for one user's registered Equip events. This is not a paid Equip subscription; the word means the external calendar app subscribes to the feed.
Setup: the user's profile > Edit Profile & Settings > Calendar Settings > Calendar Subscription, or the Subscribe to Calendar button on the user's profile calendar.
Direction: one-way, read-only. Edits in the calendar app do not change Equip.
Content: events from the last three months onward, with title, description, location and a link back to Equip.
Refresh timing: Equip rebuilds the feed when events change; the calendar app decides how often it re-reads it, often every few hours and up to a day for Outlook and Google.
Availability: Calendar subscriptions are turned on for your account by the Equip team. If you do not see the Calendar Settings tab on a profile, ask us to enable it. Participants also need mobile access enabled.
Side by side
Connection: syncing uses the user's SSO account; a subscription uses a private URL.
Where events appear: syncing writes into the user's own calendar; a subscription shows as a separate subscribed calendar.
Speed: syncing is near-immediate; a subscription waits for the app's next refresh.
Who can use it: syncing only for Google or Microsoft SSO users; subscriptions for any user, including participants with mobile access.
Security: syncing depends on the user's SSO connection; a subscription depends on keeping the URL private, and the link can be regenerated.
Limits and gotchas
Neither option imports outside events into Equip or blocks time on the Equip calendar.
A user who sees a Google authorization error when connecting or syncing should contact Equip support; we are tracking an issue with Google connections for some customers.
If a subscription URL is shared with the wrong person, use Regenerate link on the user's Calendar Settings; the old link stops working.
FAQ
Can I use both syncing and a subscription for the same person?
Yes. They are independent. An SSO user can have events synced to their Google or Outlook calendar and also give another app the subscription feed.
Does either option bring outside calendar events into Equip?
No. Both are one-way from Equip out. Equip does not read or display Google, Microsoft or Apple events, and changes made in those apps do not update Equip.
Why can't a user turn on Enable Event Syncing?
The Event Syncing section only appears for users who sign in with Google or Microsoft SSO. Email-and-password users should use a calendar subscription.
What happens when someone is removed from an event?
Syncing removes the event from their connected calendar. With a subscription, the event leaves the feed and the calendar app drops it at its next refresh.
How quickly do changes show up?
Syncing usually within minutes. Subscriptions depend on the calendar app's refresh, which Equip cannot control; Outlook and Google can take several hours.
Which option should a participant use?
A calendar subscription, which works in any calendar app and needs mobile access enabled on their profile. A participant who signs in with Google or Microsoft SSO can use syncing instead.
Related
Sync a person's events to their Google or Microsoft calendar
Subscribe to an Equip calendar in Outlook, Google or Apple Calendar
What is the Calendar, and who can see which events?